Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Nick Cousins was chosen in the second round, 21st overall, of the 2009 OHL Priority Selection by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Cousins played in 5 games for the Trenton Hercs of the OJHL, picking up 1 assist in those games.

2009-10: In his OHL rookie season, Cousins played in 67 games for the Greyhounds. He scored 11 goals and added 21 assists for 32 points. In 5 playoff games, he picked up 1 assist.

2010-11: In 68 games for the Greyhounds, Cousins scored 29 goals and added 39 assists for 68 points. Cousins played for Canada at the 2011 U-18 World Junior Championship, scoring 4 goals and adding 4 assists for 8 points in 7 games.

2011-12: Cousins returned to Sault Ste. Marie for his third junior season with the Greyhounds and made his pro debut at the end of the year, playing for Flyers’ AHL affiliate Adirondack. He was scoreless with no penalties in his only game with the Phantoms. Cousins was the leading scorer for the Greyhounds, finishing with 35 goals and 53 assists in 65 games and was plus-one with 88 penalty minutes. The Greyhounds came up just short in their quest for an OHL playoff spot; finishing one point behind Windsor. Cousins signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in March 2012.

2012-13: Cousins ended the year with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Adirondack after finishing third in the OHL in scoring in his fourth season of junior hockey. He had 1 assist and was -1 with 2 penalty minutes in seven games with the Phantoms. Adirondack missed the playoffs after finishing last in the Northeast Division. Cousins scored 27 goals and was second in the OHL with 76 assists in 64 games with Sault Ste. Marie and was +19 with 83 penalty minutes. The Greyhounds were second in the West Division and lost to Owen Sound in a first round playoff series. Cousins scored 3 goals with 3 assists and was -2 with 12 penalty minutes in six playoff games.

2013-14: Cousins skated for Flyers AHL affiliate Adirondack in his first season of pro hockey. Appearing in 74 of 75 games for the Phantoms, he scored 11 goals with 18 assists and was minus-9 with 47 penalty minutes. Adirondack missed the playoffs; finishing fourth in the Northeast Division.

2014-15: Cousins made his NHL debut with the Flyers in a March 17th game at Vancouver, appearing in 11 games with Philadelphia after spending most of the year with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He was +1 with no points and 2 penalty minutes, averaging nine minutes of ice time with the Flyers. Cousins was the Phantoms’ leading scorer with 22 goals and 34 assists and was +2 with 73 penalty minutes in 64 games. Lehigh Valley finished fourth in the East Division, missing the AHL playoffs.

2015-16: Cousins played in four games with the Flyers at the end of November after being re-called from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley and then re-joined the Flyers for good in early February. In 36 regular season games he scored 6 goals with 5 assists and was +5 with 4 penalty minutes, averaging 10:43 minutes of ice time with Philadelphia. He averaged 11 minutes of ice time in the Flyers’ first four playoff games against Washington and was -1 with no points and 2 penalty minutes. Cousins scored 12 goals with 26 assists and was +13 with 45 penalty minutes in 38 AHL games with Lehigh Valley.

Talent Analysis

At 5-foot-11, Cousins is a small player but is very competitive. Cousins is a two-way player but possess good passing and playmaking skills. The forward has put up good offensive numbers at the AHL level, and his skating has vastly improved during his time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Future

Cousins played a steady role for the Flyers during their late season run to a playoff spot in 2015-16 after being re-called in February. A consistent scorer in the AHL with Lehigh Valley, he has fit in well in a lower line role while also scoring some timely goals for Philadelphia. In the final year of his original entry-level contract, Cousins would be an unrestricted free agent if not tendered a qualifying offer by this summer. His offensive output should increase as he gains more experience and his progress to this point suggests Cousins can be a solid third-line forward.

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